A 31-year-old man from Scottsdale was convicted of 12-fraud related counts for pretending to be a decorated Marine. While some Arizonians many not see this as a serious crime, a Maricopa County jury found that the man was guilty of several serious charges, including forgery, fraudulent schemes and presentation of a false instrument for filing.
The Arizona Republic reports that John Rodriguez was arrested after a former marine saw him at a military function and suspected that he was not a Marine. John Rodriguez was wearing a decorated uniform, but his uniform was not complete. Investigators found that the man had never been in the military and that the man had pretended to be a decorated veteran at several functions.
It's likely that the man will be sentenced to many years in prison over the fraud convictions, but perhaps John Rodriguez should appeal the court's decision and get another shot in the criminal justice system. It's not clear if the defendant ever tried to hire a Phoenix criminal defense attorney or if he was ever appointed a public defender to get involved with his case. Fox News states that John Rodriguez did not show up in court on Monday, the day that the jury found him guilty. The man reportedly tried to postpone the court date, claiming that he was going to be deployed to Iraq. Yet the jury was convinced that the man was posing as a U.S. Marine after prosecutors played an interrogation video in which John Rodriguez admitted to the accusations.
Related Resources:
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Forgery - Criminal Law (FindLaw)
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Locate a Phoenix Criminal Lawyer (FindLaw)
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Fraudulent Schemes (FindLaw's LawBrain)
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